Shillong, July 27: “Revisiting the Implementation of NEP 2020 by the State Government in higher education institutions in Meghalaya in commemoration of the 3rd Anniversary of NEP 2020 and the second edition of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam” Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam which was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi on the 07th July 2023 in Varanasi.
The three-day seminars brought together over 300 Vice-Chancellors and Directors from public and private universities, educationists, policymakers, as also industry representatives to deliberate on how the implementation of National Education Policy 2020 can be taken further across the country after successful implementation of several initiatives in the last two years.
Addressing the gathering at the 3 day Shiksha Samagam the Prime Minister said that “our education system and young generation carry a big part of realizing the pledges of the ‘Amrit Kaal’”. The Prime Minister pointed that “the basic premise of the National Education Policy is to take education out of narrow thinking and connect it with the modern ideas of the 21st century”.
The Prime Minister also highlighted that in the new policy, the entire focus is on making children skilled according to their talents and choices of the children. “Our youth should be skilled, confident, practical and calculative, education policy is preparing the ground for this”.
As the nation will be celebrating a two day event to commemorate the 3rd Anniversary of NEP 2020 along with second edition of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam on 29th & 30th July, 2023 at New Delhi.
The State of Meghalaya joining hand with the nation to commemorate 3rd Anniversary of NEP 2020 revisit the important events and initiatives that has been carried by the State Government in letter and spirit.
The State of Meghalaya along with other States/ UTs in the country has mooted, propel and is pursuing to implement the recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in Meghalaya.
The recommendations of NEP 2020 which is based on principles of flexibility; no hard separations between disciplines, multi-disciplinarity and holistic education, multiple- entry & exits, conceptual understanding on creativity and critical thinking, ethics and human & constitutional values, life skills, respect for diversity and the local context, with focus on equity and inclusion.
For implementation of the NEP 2020 in the State, the Governor of Meghalaya has constituted a Core Group with the Principal Secretary as the Chairman, the Secretary, Education Department, Director of School Education and Literacy, Director of Educational Research and Training and Director of Higher & Technical Education as members.
The State of Meghalaya had shared the Concept Note of implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs as per the performa shared by Ministry of Education on the 24.12.2021. The Action Plan and Major Initiatives proposed for Implementation of NEP 2020 in Higher Education Institutions in Meghalaya prepared by the State was submitted to the Ministry of Education on the 05th April, 2022.
The Education Department in the Concept Note and Action Plan on Implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs in Meghalaya has identified the existing major issues and challenges in the present ecosystem of Higher Education covering the key theme of NEP 2020 (Access, Equity and Quality).
Based on the major issues and challenges identified, the Education Department has listed the Action Plan and Major Initiatives proposed for Implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs. The Action Plan and Major Initiatives has identified activities that are Student Centric, Faculty Development, Institutional Development and Employability proposed to be covered during the implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs.
At the institutional level, Colleges and Private Universities have held various workshops/ webinars/ Seminars as capacity building to discuss and deliberate on the various recommendations of the NEP 2020 since 2019 with a purview to formulate individual institutional plans to ensure implementation of the NEP 2020 in respective institution.
The Central University – North-Eastern Hill University to which all colleges in the State is affiliated to has also taken initiative in capacity building, training and meeting for the faculties of the university and faculties of the affiliating colleges since 2020 on the recommended actions points of NEP 2020 for HEIs and has assured the State Government that relevant trainings will be provided to colleges from time to time by the University inorder to ease successful implementation of NEP 2020 at the college level.
The University has already implemented the NEP 2020 for the Post Graduate student for the academic session 2022-23. The 27th Emergent Academic Council of NEHU held on March 28, 2023 had structured and approved the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes to be adopted by the HEIs. The University has proposed to start with a Four-Year Under Graduate Programme (FYUP) from the upcoming academic session.
The National Conference of Chief Secretaries held from 15th to 17th June, 2022 at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh by NITI Aayog which arrive at a decision that Ministry of Education at the central level are required to conduct frequent review and monitoring of the Action Point on implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs in the States/ UTs as per the template shared by NITI Aayog.
The State Government inorder to sensitize, prepare and provide understanding on initiating the institutional Concept Note of NEP 2020 covering the 18 actionable points and respective KPIs on implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs had shared the Template for Monitoring of implementation of NEP 2020 (emerging from National Conference of Chief Secretaries).
The exercise have enable to prepare and drive understanding among stake holders at the grassroots level on the action points group as – Learner Centric Education, Digital Learning, Institute – Industry Linkage, Academic Research and Internationalization and Indian Knowledge System that is to be covered while implementing NEP 2020.
The State of Meghalaya has frequently collated report from HEIs in the State on their respective Action Point on implementation of NEP 2020. The latest compiled report of the Action Point on implementation of NEP 2020 in HEIs, achievement during the period of reporting by State of Meghalaya has been shared by the Directorate of Higher & Technical Education, Government of Meghalaya with Ministry of Education, Government of India on the 08.05.2023.
The former Hon’ble Governor of Meghalaya his excellency Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.), in the presence of officials from the Education Department and MPURB took a review of Private Universities in Meghalaya on the functioning & implementation of NEP 2020 on the 15.12.2022.
A workshop on Adoption of Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) was organised for HEIs in Meghalaya on the 25.04.2023 in collaboration with State Nodal Officer from National Academic Depository, DigiLocker, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India who felicitated the deliberations on utilizing the DigiLocker platform for Adoption of Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) in HEIs enabling credit mobility.
The Education Department, Government of Meghalaya held a Joint Meeting with NEHU & all Principals/ Head of Departments of all Colleges in Meghalaya in the State Level Consultation on NEP 2020 held on 25th May, 2023 at Yojana Bhawan Auditorium, Main Secretariat Building, Meghalaya.
The concern head of institutions deliberated on the possibility and challenges of implementing the recommendations of NEP 2020 in the academic year 2023-24. Post the deliberation most of the Colleges through the Meghalaya College Council have pointed that as the affiliating Central University NEHU, has structured the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes approved by the 27th Emergent Academic Council of NEHU on March 28, 2023 for the Affiliating Colleges in Meghalaya.
The Affiliating Colleges in Meghalaya has clarified that as the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes has just been introduced by NEHU. The same will not been able to implement in the academic session 2023-24 as sensitization of teachers and students, preparation of prospectus in line with NEP 2020 and adoption of new Curriculum framework for Undergraduate Programmes have not been met by the colleges, herby requested the State Government to consider a one year extension for implementing the new Curriculum framework in colleges.
The colleges has also assured that by the academic session 2024-25 the college will be able to adopt the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes, keeping in consideration to plan and prepare in one years’ time the requirement of additional infrastructures & faculties from the Second Year with the addition of Vocational Courses as recommended by NEP 2020.
Inorder to successfully implement the recommendations of NEP 2020 the Education Department through the Directorate of Higher & Technical Education proposes to host numerous workshops for HEIs in the state on the themes and action points as pointed by Ministry of Education, inorder to provide appropriate capacity building for implementing the NEP 2020.
Inorder to facilitate and ease implementation of NEP 2020 at the institutional level the Directorate has taken the initiative to share notification, guidelines of the Central Government, State Government and University Grants Commission (UGC) on Action Points recommended that can be implemented (Adoption of Guidelines of UGC on Institutional Development Plan, Adoption of Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Guideline for translation of books into Indian Language, Indian Knowledge System) side by side.
The HEIs in the State are also requested and encouraged to visit University Grants Commission portal on the link: https://www.ugc.gov.in/guidelines.aspx and https://www.ugc.gov.in/regulations.aspx frequently inorder to access first-hand information on Regulations and Guidelines on implementation of Action Points recommended under NEP 2020 in HEIs.
The HEIs in Meghalaya are also encouraged to sensitize teachers & students at the institutional level through appropriate capacity building programme, counselling and dissemination of information, IEC materials on implementation of NEP 2020 through respective prospectus and posters so that the objective and understanding of the recommendations of the NEP 2020 is reached out to the maximum stakeholders.
The State Government has recently constituted the State Education Commission on the 14.07.2023, with renown Central Government and State Government Officials, Professors from NEHU, Principals & Faculties from Colleges, Principals of Schools as its members with task assigned to recommend concrete solutions and strategic intervention and policy decisions for ushering reforms in the School and Higher Education system from the perspective of NEP 2020.
Fulfilling its various principles and articulation and update the Meghalaya State Education Policy inline with NEP 2020 apart from the other assigned roles and responsibilities, The Education Department will closely monitor on the implementation of NEP 2020 in the state by forging a synergic relationship among stakeholders (Central University, Institute of National Importance, Private University, and Affiliating Colleges) of higher education institution under one roof in order to attain a holistic approach while implementing the NEP 2020 in the State.
